Delaware is seeing strong demand for skilled technology professionals, many of whom do not see the state as a tech center.
At the same time, the state has made strides in providing support for start-ups but suffers from a blurry image in the technology space.
Those messages came out of a survey conducted by the Delaware Technology Forum. Results were released at an event on Wednesday sponsored by the Delaware Technology forum.
“A huge degree of consistency of what we have found,” said George Rotsch, a Tech Forum board member who discussed the findings of the survey of Philadelphia-area professionals.
Rick Sommer, chair of the Tech Forum, said tech employers are taking stopgap measures that include hiring of foreign nationals who may or may not remain in the state.
Rotsch said Delaware has a number of support organizations for technology start-ups in he form of co-working space and incubation centers in Newark and Wilmington.
On the minus side, the organizations are not always well known, Rotsch added.
Funding sources are available in Delaware. However, venture capitalists often go outside the state in looking for the best opportunities.
Outside of Delaware, technology leaders see the state as a tight-knit market where outsiders have trouble making inroads. It is often viewed as a place to skip over in trying to penetrate the Philadelphia markets,” Rotsch noted.
In a panel discussion at the event, real estate developer Paul McConnell of 1313 Innovation, a Wilmington-based center that assists tech start-ups – said the state is making progress in building a technology community.
Government has work to do in improving the business climate, according to McConnell, who said the city of Wilmington, in particular, is a difficult place to do business when it comes to permitting and other issues
Rotsch said a follow-up to the survey found that those settling into Delaware end up liking the community.
In a question and answer period, a member of the audience asked why JPMorgan Chase established a technology center near Wilmington, rather than focusing on another technology hotspot.
Panelists said Delaware is viewed as a good location for tech employees, even with the challenges faced in attracting and retaining those employees.
The Tech Forum of Delaware is comprised of technology professionals and those providing support services to tech companies.
